Presentation of self on the Web: an ethnographic study of teenage girls’ weblogs

Abstract

Through their use of weblogs, teenage girls are bridging their offline and online relationships. As the girls use this medium to construct themselves and their relationships, they must address the dual nature of weblogs as a tool for interpersonal communication and mass communication. This study examines two aspects of teen girls’ blog use: (1) challenges and hazards of conducting interpersonal communication in a mass medium, and (2) self‐presentation strategies used to negotiate a dual audience. Methodology for the study included an ethnographic study of 40 weblogs, an in‐depth analysis of six weblogs and a set of 13 in‐depth interviews.